Neither wind nor freezing rain could stop Brush from dishing out a brutal battle to 2A's No. 1 seeded Kent Denver as the ‘Diggers hosted the undefeated powerhouse during a sleeting Saturday quarterfinals contest. Although the Sun Devils managed to come out of a crowded Beetdigger Stadium with a 35-27 victory that will move the private school's lineup into the 2012 semifinals, the ‘Diggers managed to bestow a ray of hope to public squads state-wide while punching in the closest battle Kent Denver has yet to encounter through their 11-0 season.

Indeed the ‘Diggers gave the Sun Devils their most brutal battle of the season so far, losing by a mere 8 points, matching the Devils point-for-point through most of the action, and even managed to tie the contest up at 21, forcing Beetdigger fans both near and far to jump with anticipation with just 11 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Not willing to go out without a fight, Head Coach Randy Dreitz and his squad of determined sideline coaches gambled with the short kickoff but to no avail as the Devils took advantage and managed to rush in their fourth touchdown of the day to take their lead to 28-21.

With less than nine minutes remaining and the season on the line, senior quarterback Mitch Tormohlen led an aggressive attack of his offense that resulted in a second run for the end zone from sophomore Kyle Rosenbrock to bring Brush back 28-27. Senior kicker Jesus Cardenas prepped for the extra point to earn the tie but the Devils conjured up a powerful block to thwart it as the clocked ticked down to just over seven minutes remaining.

The Beetdigger offense put up 26 points against the Kent Denver 'D' but still fell short 35-26 in their at home playoff game Saturday Nov. 10th (by VERONICA IVEY, Fort Morgan Times.)

Another short-field to defend for the ‘Digger ‘D' on the kickoff could have proved advantageous once again for the Devils, if not for senior defensive end Jake Morrow, who swiftly recovered a forced fumble, giving his team the ball at the 30-yard-line.

Just one point down with under four minutes on the board made for a momentous nail-biter for fans and players alike who watched as the Devils aired out a drive that culminated in a 25-yard touchdown pass to take Kent Denver up 35-27. And then there were two. Two minutes between Brush and a trip to the 2A quarterfinals that fell short on a Brush fumble, leaving the Devils with the ball and the win.

The newest face of BHS, Digger Dan the mascot, made his first football game debut during the Beetdiggers quarterfinals contest vs. Kent Denver, causing the crowd and local school children to swoon over the charismatic character. (by VERONICA IVEY, Fort Morgan Times.)

During the duel Brush bulldozed through a hyped Kent Denver ‘D' for a total of four turnovers, including Morrow's fumble recovery and three interceptions that had junior Jake Brown and sophomores Alec Petterson and Rosenbrock all snag balls from touted Kent Denver hurler junior Joe Matarazzo who doubled his wayward throws in just one game to make for six on the entire season. They may not have walked away with the win but the ‘Diggers (8-3 overall, 5-2 in-league) did prove devilish in hacking up the stats of their number one foe.

A noticeably shaken up (1) Kent Denver (11-0) will move on to the 2A semifinals versus (4) Florence after their 12-0 defeat of Middle Park and on the other side of the bracket where games on Saturday proved tight, (3) Bayfield moves on after a 18-13 win over Faith Christian and will take on (7) Platte Valley who managed to thwart (2) Eaton after a 23-21 barn-burner at the home of the Reds. The 2A quarterfinals will commence on Saturday, November 10.

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